Although it's best known for its amazing microbrew beers, Boundary Bay is a super place to have reliably good food; they really mean it when they say "Be Local, Eat Local." They use local produce, milk and cheese, as well as oysters, salmon, and locally made artisan bread. It was the first local restaurant we tried, and well, we've not tried as many others as we might because we keep going back; the food is that good, and the people that nice. Plus, the beer is great.

I'm not one to drink without at least something to nibble, and the Hummus Plate is a favorite. It includes hummus, tzatziki, cucumber slices, incredibly sweet fresh grape tomatoes, sprouts, and warm pita bread. It's large enough to comfortably share over a couple of pints of beer.

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On a cool, blustery spring afternoon I was again faced with the dilemma of where to eat dinner. As I mentally flipped through all the restaurant possibilities that Capitol Hill has to offer I came to a place in my head where there still existed a blank spot. I had never tried Rom Mai Thai, a Thai food restaurant located on Broadway near Roy St. I remembered that it had recently been boarded up during a remodel that was very often confused with a going-out-of-business event. People told me that during the remodel it was still possible to order delivery and take-out orders, but I wasn’t the kind of person that was willing to trust a restaurant that was boarded up, let alone one I had never been to with providing my friends and I with sustenance. That idea seemed a little far-fetched.

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If you have ever craved sushi – like I quite often do – it is always good to know what places are the best to eat at in the state. So, if you find yourself visiting Arizona, or you already live here as a resident, it is always good to know what restaurants are the best and why. With that in mind, I do present to you my four favorite sushi joints in the Valley of the Sun!

Sting Ray Sushi in Scottsdale, AZ
One of the best sushi restaurants in the state…they have it all here. I highly recommend dining here you will get great service, amazingly fresh and delicious food and the ambiance is one of a kind. I recommend their Las Vegas Rolls, they are to die for!

Ra Sushi in Chandler, AZ
The club-like atmosphere found at RA is second to none. The service is even better. They have one of the largest sushi bars in the state and their sashimi is amongst the very best you will ever have.

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There is no ordinary night at Flicka’s Baja Cantina on Scottsdale Road, just on the southern most end of South Scottsdale, Arizona. But what you will find is a welcoming bar and grill with a very friendly staff and one of the nicer live music venues in the entire city, and the state of Arizona for that matter! In fact, after witnessing several live shows, the sound at Flicka’s is off the hook and the staff is well prepared for large scale events. Meaning that even if it does become crowded inside – which is fairly often – you won’t have to be waiting with an empty stomach or glass for long before a friendly server comes to your table!

This bar and grill offers a large patio with covered seating and an outdoor bar, they also have seating or about a hundred patrons inside at larger, and comfy high-top tables. The service is genuine and great and their menu is not that shabby either.

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Yesterday I had the pleasure of eating at Agua Verde Cafe & Paddle Club (aguaverde.com/cafe.shtml).  I had never heard of the place but my mother suggested we try it out.  I am always willing to take a chance on a new restaurant so off we went.

One huge plus about this cafe is the setting.  It's located at 1303 NE Boat Street in the University district of Seattle.  It sits right on the water, a peaceful environment for eating a meal.  The place is so focused on the outdoors that they even rent kayaks out.  Adventurous people can go on a kayak excursion and then, after being exhausted from hours of paddling, eat great Mexican food.  We went out for an early dinner on a beautiful day, one of the most gorgeous days we have seen in Seattle lately, so the the place was packed.  The front was crammed full of people drinking margaritas to kill time as they waited for tables.  The margaritas looked delicious but sadly I didn't have one.

They told us it would be a 40 minute wait and we were ok with that.  This wasn't an issue, as it would

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What is there to do when you are bored on the weekends in one of the most happening cities in the United States? Well you head out to the bars and the hot clubs. I am talking, of course, about none other than Tempe, Arizona. A place that was once just a smaller, shy college town, but is now city that has grown in staggering proportions, and one that does not appear to be slowing down in the least bit. In fact, Tempe is considered to host one of the best live music scenes in the USA and is also considered by many to be a very desirable place to attend college; they host ASU (Arizona State University).

Dos Gringos is situated in a multilevel building in downtown Tempe near Mill Avenue and just down the street for the ASU main campus. The club is open nearly every night of the week. The best nights to go there are on the weekends, Fridays and Saturdays, when you will have to wait in line just to get in through the door.

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If you have never been to the popular and very large outdoor mall that is Tempe Marketplace, then you are missing out on some great stores, bars and restaurants. However, be prepared to spend a pretty penny to wine and wine here, as it is not cheap, and most places pay exorbitant rent and therefore host high menu prices. But, if you want to hit up some of the hottest clubs and eateries in all of Tempe—and you are sick of Scottsdale—you can find this jive going on nightly at Tempe Marketplace, namely, at Cadillac Ranch.

A Cowboy Bar that isn’t Really a Cowboy Bar
This bar is not really a cowboy bar, although it claims to be as such. Nice oak chair and tables, a mechanical bull and the name all eludes to that notion. However it is really just another joint that attracts a well mixed 20s-something crowd that is ready to eat and drink. High priced menu items and drinks make it hard to leave this place for under fifty bucks.

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If you have never had the chance to get your butt down to Scottsdale, Arizona, then you will find that once you are in this land that tries to mimic, in so many ways, Beverly Hills, California, that there are actually quite a few great places to eat and drink at. When you have a town that is filled to the brim with yuppies and collegians, you need great breweries. Thankfully, the good folks that live here have heeded to the call for a place that drinkers such as I wish to call home. This, perhaps, is what spawned great, albeit tucked away, brewing spots like Papago Brewery in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Why This Place Rocks!
Papago’s offerings are threefold. You can eat and drink great brews and foods. They also have a huge fridge section in the middle where you can buy beer by the bottle to go. And you won’t find a better selection of imported beer by the bottle nearly anywhere else in the state.

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Located in Seattle’s Roosevelt District, Taste of India Restaurant proudly displays that it’s won the “Zagat Award” on its sign. I was cautious of such a statement and eyed the place with slight disbelief. It’s housed in a small, quaint, and rather old structure that is kept up quite well. After parking precariously close to the street right outside the restaurant I noticed all the positive awards the place had won that had been prominently hung in the windows and on the walls immediately inside the front doors. My uneasiness was being put to rest the longer I lingered in the restaurant.

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Another one of Capitol Hill’s restaurant gems is a triangular establishment called The Saint. Located on Olive, just after the Olive Way exit from I-5, The Saint is a multifaceted and multifunctional place to go for a drink or a meal or both. The location used to house Capitol Hill’s Wing Dome, an establishment that for many of Capitol Hill’s residents needs no introduction. Personally I was disappointed when the location closed, but I am now sufficiently satisfied with The Saint, the restaurant that has taken its place. Tequila lovers and Mexican food critics would have an equally enjoyable time at this place, given that it has one of Seattle’s best selections of food and drinks for a small mom and pop style restaurant.

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